Hyakujitsu no Bara (OVA)

The first thing that I noticed when watching this was the beautiful artwork. The characters are very handsome and particular scenes were beautiful to watch.
I haven't been reading the manga so far but I don't feel I need to in order to know what's going on because it's explained while watching.
This series is not for the squeamish because of a quite brutal rapescene so be aware if you're not into that.

The series concentrate around an army and there is a battle scene and the two protagonists seem to share a distant past
Funny detail to me is that the uke is in fact the seme's superior so you get some awkward situations which I found very amusing.

At the end there is a surprise chibi-furry mini cartoon after every episode and they are very cute and made me laugh so be sure to wait for that after the episode ends!
I recommend this series for the bit more "experienced" fans out there because of

It's rare that I watch an OVA or series that makes me want to read the manga, but this is a rare exception. The true complexity of the relationship between Klaus and Taki is not fully revealed given the 30-minute time limit for the OVA, but it manages to leave viewers with enough questions that could only be answered by reading the series.

I also like the fact that the chibi omakes from the manga are included in the OVAs. They provide a much needed contrast to the violence and gravity of the overall storyline which can weigh heavily on viewers.

'Maiden Rose' was one of those anime titles I didn't expect much of, which is exactly why I wasn't disappointed with it in the very end.

I usually pay a lot of attention to how characters are drawn, and I didn't like Klaus at all. I have to admit that seeing him in sexual scenes with adorable Taki made me go „eww“ a few times. Especially in bloody scenes..oh yes, guys...there's blood. A bit too much, if you ask me. I'm guessing that's just not the way I like my yaoi.
I guess you could say sexual scenes are made pretty realistic, but I honestly have to say I don't wanna see 'realistic' when I watch yaoi. If you do, then this is just the kind of anime you'd love. If, on the other hand, you're like me..I suggest you to avoid this series, you're not gonna miss much.

If we ignore the sexual stuff, the plot of this anime didn't really catch my attention either. Overall, I give it 2 out of 5. Not impressed at all...

Maiden Rose is a very resumed compilation of a manga that has much more into it than what we could expect at first sight. We have two countries in a war, a prince from a country that has a knight from the other country. A Shakesperian plot, that - due to lack of film time - was never explained. And this is the main flaw of this anime. However, it counters for having a plot. This by itself is already a great achievement for a BL animation, where they often forget about plotlines and characters to please the rabid fangirl.

The art was cared and clean, pretty but not amazing. The animation can't be considered a master piece, but it's skillfully done. And that's enough. The same can we say for the OST and effects, not to mention voice acting. For something supposedly sensual these actors seemed rather shy.

However there is something that counters this, which are the characters. They are solid and suffer development, even with the 60 minutes of screen that they were allowed to have. The designs are gorgeous and even though we may consider some actions flawed according to what we know of them I believe that it is part of their personal achievements to surprise the viewer.

Overall, a very good work. We were needing something like this into the genre. Sexually tense, violent and creepy sometimes, but very sweet in the end. Highly recommended to the rabid fangirls.

The animation is beautifully done, but the storyline of the first episode is rather confusing. The plot is interesting, but the anime alone doesn't really explain the relationship between Taki and Klaus. It hints that they have a deeper relationship than what is shown, but without looking at the manga, you probably won't know what's going on. And the sex scenes are a bit disturbing, especially if you're not a fan of non-con (the ultra realistic kind, too). It's artistically beautiful, and a compelling story, but it's like trying to see the full picture of a puzzle with half the pieces missing.